Mold pouring apparatus



Aug. 22, 1933. P. M. PAYNE I MOLD POURING APPARATUS 'Filed Aug. 25, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet, 1

4 gwoewtov ieaiJolz N. Pay/2e.

Aug. 22, 1933. R M PAYNE 1,923,553

MOLD POURING- APPARATUS Filed Aug. 25, 1931 '2 Sheets-sheaf, 2

A Pea/"v02?- M. Pay/2e Patented Aug. 22, 1933 UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE MOLD romtfifjrraua'rns Pearson M. Payne, Denver, Colo. Application August as, 1931/ Serial No. 559,322

4 Claims. (Cl. 22-79) My invention relates to a continuous castin machine. v

, In the methods now in use, the metal is tapped from a melting ladle which is usually operated by hand to transfer the metal to the molds- These methods are open to many objections due to the loss of time, labor and metal caused by spilling, overflowing, misruns, and the pouring of ununiform amounts of metal in the molds,

leaving tins and projections on the castings. It is estimated that in the casting of grinding balls a ball recovery of sixty per cent of the metal charged .into the furnace is the usual practice.

' An important object of my invention is to obviate these diiiiculties by automatically pouring a u'edetermined amount of' metal into each Another object of my invention is to provide a method of controlling and regulating the amount of metal which enters each mold, thereby providing a mold pouring method of great value in the casting of such articles as pistons, grinding balls, die castings and similar articles (mi-manufactured in large quantities and requiring lowing description. a

In the accompanying drawings which form a t part of this description and wherein like characters of reference denote like or corresponding parts throughout the same,

4 Figure 1 is a side elevation of improved casting machine, I

Figure 2 is a top plan view thereof, Figure 3 is a detail sectional view of a portion of the mold pouring track,

Figuresd and 5 are details of one of the mold sections, and,

Figure 6 is a detail transverse section of the measuring track.

In the drawings, wherein for the purpose of 0 illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention, the humeral 10 designates a rotary mold turntable rotated by means oral-avariable speed electric motor 11. Africti'on'drive 1 2 is interposed between the motor '11 and table .10,

and such a drive is selected because of the de sirability of accurately regulating the peripheral speed of the turntable. Other types of drives may be used, however. H

A series of independent molds 13, illustrated as ball molds, are formed in separable sections as shown in Figures 4 and 5. separated on the center line. of the molds. Independent molds of this type are less susceptible to warni sthan the large molds in which many balls are cast. A refractory gate 13' may be used in the mold 05 sections if desired. These molds are arranged in spaced relation around the upper-surface of the turntable adjacent the periphery thereof. For the sake of clearness in the drawings, the molds 13 have not been repeated completely around the periphery of the'turntable. 'It is to be understood. however. that in the complete machine there will be one of the molds over a each of the. cut away portions 19 in the turn table. The molds may'be opened and-closed II by any suitable means; In the I have illustrated-a cam operated for opening and closing the molds. The outer mold section is rigidly fastened to a mold guide 14, and the inner section is'slidably' arranged in the guide. vA mold onemtingmember 15 is secured to the inner. mold section and isprovidedatitsinnerendwithapairofspaced' rollers 16 which engage the inner. and outer surfaces of a cam 17 istationarily arranged centrally of the turntable. The cam moves the member 15 toward andaway from the axis of the turntable and consequently moves the inner mold section toward the outer section to close the mold, and awayjrom the outer section to W open the mold sections. Anopening 18 in the bottom of each guide registers with one of the series of cutaway portions 19 in the turntable and provides a space for the casting to -drop through when the sections are separated. 95 An arm 20 is rigidly connected to a.stationary shaft 21 arranged centrally of the turntable. The outer end-of the arm 20 rotatably supports the mold pouring track which comprises a flanged metallic ring 22 supported by spokes 23 the hub of which is rotatably secured to the arm 20 by means of a stub shaft 24. Within the flanged ring 22, a series of independent metal-receiving cup sections 25, shown in detail in Figure 3, is removably arranged. The cup sections 25 are provided with interlocking ends to hold them in position and to prevent loss of metal. The walls. of each cup slope to the opening of a centrally arranged nozzle 26 which extends through an opening in thebottom of the metal ring 22. The adjoining edges of adjac'ent cup sections form partitions separating the cups, and if desired, these partitions may have a concave upper surface as seen at 27 in Figure 6, to allow metal to flow into the next cup rather than over the sides of the ring 22. The cup sections are made from any suitable material such as refractory material, and may be replaced at will.

A large sprocket-wheel 28 is supported to rotate with the turntable and is connected by means of a chain or the like 29 to a smaller sprocket 30 secured to the hub of the ring 22 or to the stub shaft 24. Rotation of the turntable 10 rotates the large sprocket 28 which acts through the chain 29 to rotate the smaller sprocket 30 and turn the mold pouring track in timed relation to the turntable.

The turntable is rotated at the desired speed and metal flows onto the track in a continuous stream from the spout 31 of a cupola or other source of molten metal supply 32. The cups 25 measure the correct amount of. metal which flows through the nozzle 26 to the gate of the mold. The spout 31 is preferably provided with a discharge nozzle 33 arranged immediately above the mold pouring track and having a relatively small, opening therein. Slag escapes I through the opening 34 before reaching the skimming arch. The clean metal flows under the skimming arch and out nozzle 33 to the pouring track where a predetermined portion passes into each cup, as the cups pass through A the pouring zone, the amount of metal received by each cup depending upon the speed of flow of the metal, and upon the peripheral speed of the turntable, which may be varied at will. The molds can be selected to form balls or other castings of any desired size, and the speed of melting and the peripheral speed of the turntable are adjusted to apportion/ the correct amount of metal to the molds.

The discharge nozzles 26 are arranged immediately above the molds and the openings therein are smaller than the mold gates, which are preferably flared at their upper ends. There will therefore be no spilling of the metal. When a refractory mold gate such as a sand core gate shown at 13 in Figure 4 is used, no metal will freeze to the gate. The recesses in the cups 25 may be formed in any desired shape, but the opening should be at the lowest point therein, and the nozzle 26 should extend below the rim 22. to prevent contact of the metal with the metal ring.

' The openings in the discharge nozzles 26 are relatively close together, a six inch spacing having been found to be efiicient, and the molds are arranged on the turntable with their gates spaced the same distance apart as the'discharge openings in the mold pouring track. If desired the cam for operating the molds may be arranged outside of the turntable to move the outer mold section, and to facilitate closer grouping of the molds on the turntable.

A continuous stream of metal flows into the mold-pouring track and is apportioned to the molds by the cups 25. Each mold moves through the pouring zone with its gate in registration with the discharge nozzle of one of the cups and is filled during this movement. Each cup is below the discharge nozzle for a uniform interval. During this interval only enough metal to fill out the mold is received so that the gates are not filled out. All of the metal melted will 'go into the balls or other castings and no gates 'measuring track of larger diameter would be used.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention it is to be understood that various changes in the size, shape and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from thespirit of my invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A continuous casting machine comprising a horizontahrotary turntable; a series of molds mounted adjacent the periphery of said turntable; means for opening said molds during a portion of their travel; means for closing said molds during another portion of their travel; a supporting member; a horizontal, circular,

mold pouring track rotatably supported by said supporting member to one side of the axis of and above said turntable, said pouring track having a substantially less diameter than said turntable and positioned so that its periphery will pass over the portion of said turntable where said molds are closed; a series of metalreceiving cups carried by said pouring track,

2. A continuous casting .machine comprising:'

a base member; a vertical shaft supported by said base member; a turntable arranged to rotate about said shaft, said shaft extending above said table; a series of molds carri'ed mounted about the periphery of said table; automatic means for opening said molds during a portion of their travel and for closing said molds during another portion of their travel; an arm extending radially outward from said shaft above said table; a horizontal, circular, mold pouring track rotatably supported by said arm over said. table to one side of said shaft, said pouring track having a substantially less diameter than said turntable and positioned so that its periphery will pass over the portion of said turntable where said molds are closed; a series of metal-receiving cups carried by said pourwith one of the molds on the latter; and means for delivering a stream of metal to each of said cups as they reach the registering position.

3. In a continuous casting machine having horizontally placed, rotating series of spaced apart molds, means for pouring said molds comprising: a horizontally placed, metallic ring, a supporting member rotatably supportized relation to said series of molds so that the discharges will successively register with said molds during a portion of their travel.

4. In a continuous casting machine having horizontally placed, rotating series of spaced apart molds, means for pouring said molds comv prising: a horizontally placed-metallic ring, a supporting member rotatably supporting said ring to one side the axis of and above said molds, said ring having a lesser diameter than said series of molds and arranged to rotate at a higher speed than the latter; a series of metalreceiving cups carried by said ring, each cup having an independent discharge through said ring; and a power transmission device connecting-said ring and said series of molds to cause said ring to rotate in synchronized relation to said series of molds so that the discharges will successively register with said molds during a portion of their travel, said cups comprising independent, refractory sections resting on said ring, each section contacting with its adjacent sections; and a downwardly extending discharge nozzle on each section, said nozzles extending through spaced apart holes in said ring to maintain said sections in their proper circumferential positions.

PEARSON M. PAYNE. 

